MADIKERI : Kushalnagar in Kodagu on Saturday witnessed massive protests by BJP workers, led by their state-level leaders. They wanted the police to file an FIR against two MLAs of Kodagu, whose names were mentioned in the death note left behind by BJP worker Vinay Somaiah, who committed suicide in Bengaluru on Friday.
Over 400 police personnel stood guard even as several BJP leaders, including BJP state president BY Vijayendra, were arrested and later released. Vijayendra, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Wadiyar and former MP Prathap Simha gathered in front of the Kushalnagar Community Health Centre and sat on a dharna. The body of Vinay Somaiah was brought in an ambulance and protesters marched on the Kudige-Kushalnagar Road in front of the community health centre and Kushalnagar police station. They demanded that the police register an FIR against the two sitting MLAs of Kodagu -- CM’s legal advisor and Virajpet MLA AS Ponanna and Madikeri MLA Mantar Gowda.
“Vinay Somaiah was an active BJP worker. We will not budge from here till the names of the MLAs are mentioned in the FIR. The police must not fall prey to political pressure,” Vijayendra said.
“A citizen is criminalised for questioning administrative failures. Isn’t this Tughlaq Rule? We all know what happened in the suicide cases of contractor Sachin Panchala and government officer Chandrashekar. This must not be repeated in Vinay’s case,” he said.
He urged the Bengaluru police to take permission from the magistrate to file the FIR against Ponnanna and Mantar. He said, “Police stations across the state are turning into Congress offices. Our worker committed suicide because of pressure from the MLAs. Despite stay orders, our worker was exploited by the police.”
The protest intensified when Vinay’s body was being shifted to his hometown Gonimaruru. Preventive arrests were made and BJP leaders, including Vijayendra, Yaduveer Wadiyar, Prathap Simha, former MLA KG Bopaiah, were taken into police custody and later released. The leaders visited Vinay’s house in Gonimaruru and took part in the final rites.